Tire recycling process

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a rubber tire recycling process that does not require the inefficient procedure of cutting and shredding the rubber tires. The entire rubber tire enters the recycling process without ever being cut thereby maintains the integrity of the steel wires within the steel belted rubber tires. The present invention allows virtually every component of the rubber tire to be recycled and results in high quality recycled end products that include, among others, full strands of steel wires and high grade rubber.

BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a process for recycling rubbertires.

BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

[0002] Currently, besides disposing of rubber tires by incinerating anddumping in landfills, there are two basic methods of recycling rubbertires. One method is by mechanically dissecting the rubber tire at roomtemperature and the other method is by first dissecting the rubber tireand subsequently dissolving the components with thermal energy in apyrolysis process.

[0003] Mechanical dissection of the rubber tire is a multi-step processat room temperature that shreds and cuts the rubber tire, including thesteel wires within it, into numerous small pieces of varying sizes. Theshreds of steel wires are then removed. The disadvantage of thismechanical dissection method is that the cost is very high, theefficiency of the process is very low, and it is not economical.Therefore, it is not widely used.

[0004] Most of the recycling of rubber tires currently utilizespyrolysis process. In this method the rubber tire is first shredded andcut into small pieces and then placed in a sealed chamber and thermalenergy is applied to dissolve the components of the rubber tire. Sinceoxygen is combustible at high temperatures, the sealed chamber must beoxygen free. If an entire rubber tire is placed in the sealed chamber,it will carry with it large quantity of air that contains oxygen, whichwill oxidize the components being recycled and may cause combustionwithin the sealed chamber when thermal energy is applied to it.Therefore, the conventional procedure is to cut the rubber tire intosmall pieces before it is placed into the sealed chamber so that theamount of oxygen entering the sealed chamber is minimized. However, thecutting of the rubber tire into small pieces requires large inefficientcutting machines. This has the same disadvantages as the mechanicaldissection method of high costs, low efficiency, and uneconomical. Theend products from this recycling method are only oil, gas, carbon black,and shards of steel. No rubber can be reclaimed from this process andthe steel wire's integrity is destroyed. This method is not economicalto commercialize.

[0005] The present invention improves the efficiency of the rubber tirerecycling process and made commercialization viable and economical. Inparticular, the present invention greatly improves upon the pyrolysisrubber tire recycling method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention is a rubber tire recycling process thatdoes not require the inefficient procedure of cutting and shredding therubber tires. The entire rubber tire enters the recycling processwithout ever being cut thereby maintains the integrity of the steelwires within the steel belted rubber tires. The present invention allowsvirtually every component of the rubber tire to be recycled and resultsin high quality recycled end products that include, among others, fullstrands of steel wires and high grade rubber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007]FIG. 1 shows a flow chart of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0008] Rubber tires are in the shape of a circular tube with a hollowexposed area within the circular tube. In the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, the rubber tire is placed on its side and thehollow exposed cavity within the rubber tire is mechanically air sealedfrom the top and bottom of the rubber tire. However, any orientation ofthe rubber tire may be utilized under the present invention, including,but not limited to vertically and at any desired angles. The entiresealed rubber tire then enters an air sealed chamber. The air within thesealed rubber tire is then removed by vacuum and the entire tire iscompressed to a virtually flat profile with virtually no air spacewithin it. The entire compressed and air-free rubber tire may then bedelivered into the conventional pyrolysis recycling process forrecycling.

[0009] Since the entire rubber tire enters the pyrolysis recyclingprocess without having being cut, the steel wires within steel beltedrubber tires maintains it integrity and can be recovered in full and inone piece from the recycling process.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tire recycling process comprising the steps of:sealing the cavity within a rubber tire with mechanical means; removingthe air from within the sealed cavity of the rubber tire; andcompressing the rubber tire to a flat profile while delivering thecompressed and air-free rubber tire into the conventional pyrolysis tirerecycling process; wherein the tire is not cut and the integrity of thesteel wires within steel belted rubber tires are maintained and fullstrands of steel wires may be recovered and the recovery of rubber ispossible.
 2. A flow control/shock absorbing seal as in claim 1, whereinthe rubber tire is compressed to a flat profile prior to removing theair the within the sealed cavity of the rubber tire.
 3. A tire recyclingprocess comprising the steps of: placing a rubber tire on its side;sealing the cavity within the rubber tire with mechanical means;removing the air from within the sealed cavity of the rubber tire; andcompressing the rubber tire to a flat profile while delivering thecompressed and air-free rubber tire into the conventional pyrolysis tirerecycling process; wherein the tire is not cut and the integrity of thesteel wires within steel belted rubber tires are maintained and fullstrands of steel wires may be recovered and the recovery of rubber ispossible.
 4. A flow control/shock absorbing seal as in claim 3, whereinthe rubber tire is compressed to a flat profile prior to removing theair the within the sealed cavity of the rubber tire.